Do you use Tumblr?

[Former_Member]

Hi all :-)

When it comes to promoting via social media, I usually hear about FB, Pinterest, & Twitter... but I've also read that quite a few Etsy sellers use Tumblr.

Do you have a Tumblr blog? How do you promote on it and does it bring you any traffic? Any tips for this platform?

We've recently started our own: orangetwig.tumblr.com

Look forward to checking out your blogs!
Isabelle

[WearYourWild]

I have a tumblr blog, but really don't use it to promote my shop. I do add some jewelry photos with links, but when I post, it's mostly my garden photos or reblogging other photos that I like.
Here I am:
http://blackstar5.tumblr.com/

[Former_Member]

I took a look and I like it! Very interesting photos :-) Have you ever seen any shop traffic coming from your Tumblr blog?

[WearYourWild]

Definitely! When I post regularly, which hasn't been lately. I'm going to try to divide my time between it, Pinterest, twiiter and Facebook (when it's up and running). I get bored easily. :)
How about you? How's your traffic over there?

[Former_Member]

:-) Thanks, it's good to know that Tumblr does work when it come to traffic. I only started ours about 2 weeks ago and haven't really explored its possibilities yet.

Plus I find it a little difficult to connect to Etsy sellers on Tumblr! But definitely want to give it a chance and pay more attention to it :-)

I love FB & Pinterest - not too thrilled about Twitter though. lol.

[Former_Member]

Thanks for the idea about using Tumblr. I've heard of it, but haven't looked into it as a way of promoting. I'm definitely going to check into it.

As for Twitter, I signed up for Etsy Fu (http://www.etsy-fu.com/) which automatically tweets your shop listings. It's been interesting so far!

[Former_Member]

You're welcome Laura :-)

I think some sellers use Tumblr only for their shop, others use it as a personal blog, and some as a mix. I like the layout and how easy it is to use, but wondering about engaging with other Tumblr users.

Etsy Fu looks interesting. Has it brought up your views or engagement on Twitter?

[ThePillowBook]

I just started a tumblr. I definitely like the ease of use and the ability to connect to twitter and FB (really can't get a handle on twitter though - it just seems silly to me lol - if someone can explain whats good about it to me that would be great!)

http://thepillowbookkateross.tumblr.com

So far I really like how visual it is, and I see it as a way to expand on my visual brand identity. It really seems like a younger demographic and I might need to spice up my posts a bit!

[Former_Member]

I feel that it has. However, I have Etsy Fu set to tweet an item from my shop every three hours, but I think I'm going to change that down to every 6. I have noticed that since I know Etsy Fu is automatically tweeting for me, I'm not personally tweeting as much, and I think that is important.

[Former_Member]

@Kate I love how simple it is to use (and to customize the layout). As for Twitter - it's quite a different platform to Facebook, Pinterest, Tumblr, etc. :-) Sometimes it can feel as if you are talking/tweeting to yourself.

The main thing is to engage: ask questions, retweet, favorite, mention people, MORE than you promote your shop, blog, or anything else. A lot of Etsy sellers are solely tweeting their listings, which doesn't really help.

Find potential customers who you think would be interested in what you sell, or businesses that are similar to yours. Search for hashtag keywords related to what you sell or are interested in.

Share links to helpful information or sites (that are relevant to your business). Building a REAL Twitter following and getting engagement does take time, but I've read that quite a few Etsy sellers get success out of it (especially in terms of shop views).

I see some of you tweets get cut off because of the character limit. Don't forget about the 140-character rule when you're tweeting from FB and Tumblr posts).

@Laura That's great. Automated services for social media can be very useful, but it's definitely good practice to tweet/post yourself as well - makes it more human and engaging :-)

[ThePillowBook]

Thanks Isabelle, good ideas here. I guess part of the twitter problem for me is that I don't 'use it' myself. I don't have a smart phone, and won't be getting one anytime soon for financial reasons, so I am limited to looking at twitter on my laptop - not very intuitive! Getting followers (in terms of numbers) doesn't really seem to be a problem, I am almost at 200 and gaining about 5 a day.... 'real' followers is a different story though and I think your suggestions are key to this.

[Former_Member]

You're welcome Kate. Personally I use Twitter from a laptop (and I prefer it that way), but I know a lot of people access it off their phones. Yes, real followers are what will ultimately benefit your shop, and also check you follower-following ratio. Good luck! :-)